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Lee County school board opts out of statewide test

Associated Press
11:30 p.m. EDT August 28, 2014

Board member Don Armstrong, a longtime opponent of Common Core and testing, looks on after he voted to opt out of state mandated testing during a board meeting at the Lee County School District on Aug. 27, 2014, in Fort Myers, Fla. Board members decided to opt the district out of high stakes testing. (AP Photo/ Naples Daily News, Dania Maxwell)(Photo: Dania Maxwell, AP)

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is warning that there could be “serious negative consequences” for a southwest Florida school district that has decided to opt out of all statewide standardized tests.

Lee County is the first school board in the state to vote to break away from the standardized tests that have become the norm in Florida after then-Gov. Jeb Bush pushed them as part of his education overhaul 15 years ago.

The vote by the school board was 3-2 and the meeting adjourned without any discussion regarding whether any testing will replace the state tests. Lee County’s decision comes at a time when Florida is transitioning away from its main statewide test to a new one that is based on standards derived primarily from Common Core.

“Sometimes it takes an act of civil disobedience to move forward,” said school board member Don Armstrong. “We cannot allow the fear to hold us back.”

But the move by Lee County clashes with state laws that require districts to give the standardized tests and could put at risk everything from state funding to students being able to comply with state graduation standards. The test results are used to evaluate teachers, decide whether to retain third-graders, and rank schools on an A-to-F scale.

Scott, in a statement released by his office, said he understands the “frustrations of parents in Lee County” and said he is opposed to any “federal overreach into our school system.” But he also cautioned district officials.

“We need to get more information, but Lee County’s actions could have serious negative consequences that I am sure they did not intend,” Scott said.

As part of his re-election campaign, Scott just three days ago vowed a thorough investigation into state testing. He also said that he wants an independent committee to review the current school standards based on Common Core, a set of national benchmarks in reading, writing and math. This is the second time in the past year Scott has called for a review of the standards. Florida earlier this year removed all references to Common Core and passed laws aimed at answering some of the strongest criticism about the standards.

But conservative activists have clamored for Florida to repeal the standards completely and have charged that Scott is trying to put a “lipstick on a pig.”

At the Wednesday meeting, board members Tom Scott and Mary Fischer voted with Armstrong, a decision that was met with cheers and applause from red-clad supporters who packed the house for the meeting. Fischer was initially leery of the idea, but served as the tie-breaker Wednesday.

“No matter what else is going on, teachers go on and they teach the students,” she said. “If this is our window of opportunity, I hope we make the best of it.”

Not everyone was happy about the vote.

Superintendent Nancy Graham said she was deeply concerned.

“This will hurt children. There is no way around it,” she said as the audience booed.

Keith Martin, the board’s attorney, said he isn’t sure whether there were any “immediate, clear” consequences to the action. He added that it’s possible the governor could remove the board members from their positions.

“Go ahead and remove me from my position,” Armstrong said. “I’m a plumber. I deal with worse things every day.”

The News-Press of Fort Myers reports that supporters booed dissenting school board members as they begged Armstrong, Scott and Fischer to table the decision until more concrete plans could be made.

School board member-elect Pam LaRiviere said the district must now see how the Department of Education reacts. She predicted the decision will serve as an impetus for other districts.

“There’s something about Lee County,” she said. “It has not lost its frontier attitude. I give us a lot of credit, but I’m scared.”